Well, if this isn’t the kiss of death …
From Politico:
Nader throws support to Edwards
MUSCATINE, Iowa — Ralph Nader unleashed on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday — criticizing her for being soft on defense spending and a chum of big business — and expressed his strong support for John Edwards.
In an eleventh hour effort to encourage liberal Iowans to “recognize” the former North Carolina senator by “giving him a victory,” the activist and former presidential contender said in an interview that Clinton will “pander to corporate interest groups” if elected.
I really like John Edwards and I’d be happy to have him as a Presidential Candidate, I just hope that this doesn’t bite him in the ass.
I disagree with the “kiss of death” statement. I know that there are a lot of Dems that have a knee-jerk reaction to Nader, but for those of us on the fence (between the Dems and much more progressive candidates) Nader’s endorsement can carry a lot of weight.
I personally hadn’t given Edwards a chance until recently. The only candidate the Dems had that I really could respect is Dennis Kucinich. But a couple of things have caused me to give Edwards a second look: the first was finding out that Tim Robbins is a big supporter, and second was Nader’s endorsement.
Yes, I’m aware of the Dem myth that Nader “stole” the election from Gore. Despite dozens of things that Gore or the Dems could have done differently, like holding the Republicans responsible for voter purges, for one.
What a lot of Dems don’t seem to realize is how many people have been disenfranchised with the Democratic Party’s move the center and right (mainly to appeal to corporate interests). They complain about third parties “stealing” their votes without being willing to shift to any degree to the progressive values that those who are voting 3rd party hold.
If the Dems nominate Dennis Kucinich, they’ll have my vote for president for sure. If they nominate Edwards, they might have it — it would depend on who the Greens run, but I’d still give Edwards my attention. Obama looks okay, but I’m concerned with his views on war (he talked tough about Iran this past year) and nuclear energy — I likely wouldn’t for him. If war-monger Hillary is the candidate, they definitely won’t get my vote.